Tag Archives: Christmas

I read an article that Dr. Phil wrote that is some part stated, you don’t have to keep doing the same thing every holiday if that’s not what you want to do. Don’t cook a big meal if you don’t enjoy it. Spend time with family on another day. And so we didn’t – do the same old thing that is.

Although I do like cooking now, I don’t enjoy (or know how) to cook a turkey, nor am I dying to learn. The only food that I LOVE on holiday’s is my Nana’s dressing – and really why is it limited to 2 days a year. I should have it tomorrow, and next week and the week after that. I don’t like to set a nice table with crystal and china or any of that mess. My boys are hard-pressed to eat anything that is not a chicken finger or a french fry and they certainly don’t care about a fancy table. So why waste 6 hours cooking and 1 hour cleaning for 15 minutes of eating. It is just not a good investment of my time.

So this year we didn’t do that. (Woo! Hoo!) We took a trip to Atlanta. We toured a mine, we panned for gold and gems, we saw a train exhibit, we rode a ferris wheel, we stayed in a fancy hotel that had room service, we went to the aquarium and to the movies, and IT WAS AWESOME!

I bet if my boys don’t remember any other Thanksgiving, they will remember this year – and that is something for which I am thankful.

I really want to continue to examine holiday “traditions” and find the ones that really work for my family, ditch the ones that don’t, and make new ones that we all appreciate.

Christmas cards are another thing I am letting go of. If you follow me on Twitter you recently saw some of that discussion. I love getting Christmas cards from other people – but if you don’t want to send me one because I am not sending them out- I completely get it. But in today’s times due to social media, most people see and keep up with our family way more often than once a year. There’s the stress of scheduling a family photo, getting the cards made, having them in the mail by December 1 so I can cross it off my list, the cots of the stamps times 75+. Yes, it is a nice gesture, but a lot of effort -especially when most of the list is either sent to people I see/talk to every week or those I haven’t talked to or seen in 15 years. Hopefully everyone knows I don’t wish them a sad Christmas or and UnHappy Holiday, right?

Now I did ask my 8 year old if I paid him and my 4 year old $50 each could we skip putting up the Christmas tree. He was all for it, but my husband put the smack-down on that Bah Humbugness. And I agree, that probably is taking it a little too far…

What about you, any holiday traditions you’d like to see go by the wayside?